Artists might be off the road, due to coronavirus, but they can still get together to perform, even if it’s virtually. On Sunday, several of country music’s biggest stars, including Lady Antebellum, Thomas Rhett, Carly Pearce, Florida Georgia Line, Sheryl Crow, Brantley Gilbert, Danielle Bradbery, Justin Moore and others, performed a virtual version of the National Anthem. Their performance aired prior to the Indy 500 Special: Back Home Again, which took place on Sunday, May 24, on NBC.
In previous years, the Indy 500 Special: Back Home Again has been held on Memorial Day weekend, at the Indianapolis Motor Speedway. Due to COVID-19, the race has been rescheduled for August 23.
Lady Antebellum have a song on their latest Ocean album, “What I’m Leaving For,” which unintentionally became an anthem for those serving in the military.
“When I got the song, I remember, oh, it just wrecked me,” Lady Antebellum’s Dave Haywood recalled. “But I sent it to my brother-in-law who served a couple of tours in Afghanistan and he was like, ‘Oh my God.’ It’s so present with where we are. I mean we tour a lot but there are those that serve that really tour for a duration that’s way longer than we ever do. And so it resonates with that crowd, and I think it hit a lot of people in that way.”
Lady Antebellum recently announced they were canceling their Ocean 2020 Tour, which was to include Jake Owen and Maddie & Tae. Lady Antebellum released “What I’m Leaving For” as a single, before changing it to “Champagne Night,” which was the recent winner of Songland. Download the single on iTunes.